Chicken Curry Rolls With Mango Chutney

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It’s not every day that you get to eat a recipe first recorded in cuneiform (one of the world’s earliest-known scripts), but curry is as close to a real Stone Age recipe as we’re likely to get. This spicy dish became popular in the West when British officers stationed in India realized how delicious it was and brought the recipes home for their families to try. A culinary tradition with an astonishing amount of variety, curry isn’t just one thing; it’s any recipe that uses a spicy sauce to flavor meat, lentils, or vegetables. There are thousands of different recipes in India alone, not to mention the curries of Thailand, Indonesia, and other food cultures of Southeast Asia.

The incredible regional variety makes curry a perfect dish for Paleo food-lovers to experiment with. You can change the flavor of the whole dish just by altering the spices, so it’s a simple way to try something new without having to learn all kinds of complicated techniques. The recipe here uses pre-mixed curry powder instead of many different spices, so it’s easy to pull together for a quick lunch or dinner; if you like it, try expanding your repertoire with different kinds of meat (lamb and beef both work well), vegetables, or spices.

In India, curry is traditionally served with rice or bread, because the curry itself is spicy enough that it goes better with a mild base. This recipe uses leaves of Romaine lettuce, but you could also use any other type of salad, boiled potatoes, or even some homemade Paleo flatbread.

For an extra flavor kick, this curry is also accompanied by a simplified version of chutney, a traditional Indian sauce. The sweetness of the chutney complements the spiciness of the curry, and it’s a good way to beat cravings by integrating sweetness into your meals. If you’re jonesing for something sweet but don’t want to get derailed by snacking on fruit or chocolate, it’s often better to have your sweet taste as part of a full meal, so you won’t be tempted into wanting more “dessert-type” foods like cookies or ice cream.